(Note: I did not receive any remuneration for reviewing this app.)
My three oldest grandchildren are now in school and are learning to read. As part of that, they have to learn sight words.
Much of that learning is not-so-thrilling rote learning.
Sight words. Sight work. Ugh!
There’s only so much a teacher can do to make it exciting.
Well, I have come across an app that helps kids learn sight words. While it’s still pretty much rote learning, it is an app that appeals to children.
Could that appeal have something to do with the fact that kids are using an iPad to learn their sight words instead of just paper and pencil?
Possibly. (At least that’s what it seemed like for my grandson!)
Let’s take a look at the app.
Kids are shown a sight word. They ‘write’ the word on the screen with their finger.
If they make a mistake, they can simply shake the iPad or click on the eraser and drag it over what they wrote.
See the microphone icon in the top right-hand corner? Kids can record themselves saying the word. Then, when they tap on the word, they can hear themselves say it. My grandson really got a kick out of this feature! (My grandson and I were using this app just before he went to bed so he is wearing jammies — a large t-shirt!)
Do you also see the star in the top left-hand corner? You can tap on it and drag it around the screen. There isn’t any academic purpose for it — except maybe that it provides a little bit of humor into the learning experience.
When you’ve written all of the site words in that group, you get an activity or game to play to reinforce the words you just practiced.
One activity is a puzzle. You tap on one of the puzzle pieces and one of the sight words is pronounced. You click and drag the piece over the printed word and the puzzle piece snaps into place.
Here’s what the finished puzzle looks like. Isn’t it pretty?
Another activity is to create a sentence using the site words. Sometimes, my grandson made sentences that made sense. Sometimes, he arranged the words in a nonsensical jumble and he laughed when the app read the sentence.
You can also play hangman, tic tac toe, create a word chain, or do a word search. All of these activities strengthen kids’ abilities to recognize the sight words.
Sight Words is a free app for children ages 6-8 years old. The app requires iOS 6.1 or late and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can get it free in the Mac App Store or from iTunes.
In my humble opinion, there’s only one teeny thing wrong with this app. It only comes with 25 words. I guess that’s what you get with a free app . . .
You have to make an in-app purchase if you want more sight words. You can get 100 site words for $2.00 or the whole shebang (300 site words) for $5.
When you think about it, that is about the price of taking a grandchild to grab a hamburger at a fast-food joint. Spending $5 on an app that supports your grandchild’s learning is better than an unhealthy fast food meal.
Take a look at this app. I predict that your grandchild will like it as much as mine did. I give it two thumbs up. So does my grandson!
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